Renovatio Records presents a reissue of Elliot Goldenthal’s haunting score for Interview with the Vampire (1994), Neil Jordan’s gothic horror classic starring Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, Antonio Banderas, and Stephen Rea. Based on Anne Rice’s novel of the same title, the film follows Louis, a vampire recounting a life steeped in passion, loss, and moral conflict to a modern-day journalist. Interview with the Vampire arrived at a time when vampire films were undergoing a renaissance, as audiences were drawn to the genre’s dark allure and gothic aesthetics, brought to life in Coppola’s recent Bram Stoker’s Dracula. However, Jordan’s film, with its mix of seductive horror and existential sorrow, needed a sound that delved into deeper psychological territory than its predecessors. Initially, George Fenton was hired for this task, but after his music was deemed too restrained, the producers turned to Goldenthal, whose avant-garde leanings and swift adaptability made him the ideal candidate to create a daring and complex score. Completed in a few intense weeks, Goldenthal’s work earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations, its gothic classicism and rich instrumentation capturing the haunting intricacies of Rice’s immortal characters.
Goldenthal’s approach draws on both classical and experimental techniques, crafting a musical landscape that captures the tragic beauty of Louis, the film’s conflicted narrator, while also exploring the violent, chaotic nature of vampires, represented mostly by Lestat, his ruthless counterpart. This duality is evident in the track “Born to Darkness,” where a sorrowful string melody builds slowly, evoking Louis’s tragic past before exploding in a dissonant orchestral crescendo as Lestat transforms him. Goldenthal’s true vision for Lestat, however, comes through in cues like “Lestat’s Tarantella” and “Lestat’s Recitative.” The former introduces a grotesque carnival theme with a jarring, frenetic energy that starkly contrasts the score’s gothic undertones, while the latter, through the use of a harpsichord motif, creates a haunting yet playful portrait of Lestat’s unpredictable nature. These thematic and instrumental choices lend a macabre humor to the score, demonstrating Goldenthal’s resistance to conventional romanticism in favor of tonal shifts that defy traditional continuity.
The score also introduces a motif for Claudia, the young girl trapped forever in a child’s body after being turned into a vampire. Goldenthal created a delicate piano melody that recalls an ancient lullaby, perfectly capturing her tragic nature. This theme is introduced in “Claudia’s Transformation” and is revisited in “Abduction and Cistern,” this time played on a glass harmonica to reflect her fragile, doll-like innocence. “Claudia’s Transformation” also features an intense agitato for violin and piano, showcasing Goldenthal’s classical sensibilities.
Goldenthal’s fascination with brass and woodwind experimentation finds ample expression here, where his use of quivering brass and eerie woodwind effects evokes the supernatural, otherworldly quality of vampirism. This is especially apparent in cues like “Plantation Pyre,” “Escape to Paris,” and “Theatre des Vampires,” where brass tones oscillate between harmony and discord, mirroring the characters’ detachment from humanity. Further similar brass performances can be heard during the relentless action portions of “Abduction and Cistern” and “Louis’ Revenge”, where the tarantella motif is revisited more menacingly than ever. Additionally, the score’s two transformation cues incorporate inventive “breathing” voices and heartbeats, further demonstrating Goldenthal’s extraordinary creativity.
The score’s emotional high points emerge in pieces like “Libera Me,” “Induction and Lament,” and “Finale,” where Goldenthal’s romantic and tragic themes shine. These cues are marked by a sense of reverence, capturing the sorrow of lives bound to darkness and the unending desire for redemption. Here, Goldenthal’s melodic restraint contrasts powerfully with the chaotic intensity elsewhere in the score, offering brief moments of reflection and beauty amidst the underlying madness. These cues likely contributed to Goldenthal’s critical acclaim, demonstrating his skill in creating an emotionally resonant, nuanced soundtrack.
While widely praised, the score for Interview with the Vampire has polarized listeners due to its unconventional structure and tonal diversity. Some may find the lack of a cohesive melody and the sudden shifts in tone unsettling compared to the more traditional melodic scores of its era. Yet others admire Goldenthal’s daring originality, recognizing his score as transcending horror, moving toward an operatic, avant-garde expression of emotional complexity. Furthermore, the score’s analog recording quality, uncommon by the mid-1990s, lends it a slightly raw, unpolished edge, reinforcing the sense of timelessness and decay that permeates the story.
The original 1994 release by Geffen Records offered a condensed album with highlights from Goldenthal’s score, alongside Guns N' Roses’ cover of “Sympathy for the Devil” used in the end credits. However, this release omitted several key pieces, and many cues were trimmed, rearranged, or mixed to balance the album’s runtime, compromising some of the score’s narrative power. This new release by Renovatio Records addresses these issues by presenting unreleased cues in their original chronological order, offering fans and newcomers alike a fuller experience of Goldenthal’s extraordinary work. Whether polarizing or beloved, Interview with the Vampire remains a distinctive musical interpretation of the gothic horror genre—one that continues to captivate, disturb, and haunt listeners.
Track listing:
Cover Artwork:
Credits:
Cue Assembly:
|
Track Title |
Slate and Cue Title |
|
1. Libera Me |
1m1 Main Title - Libera Me |
|
2. Born to Darkness |
1m3b 1791 - The Plantation - Longing For
Death (Edited) 1m4 Up The Mast |
|
3. Louis’ Transformation |
2m1 Bedroom Scene – Sunrise (Edited) |
|
|
2m1b Prelude and Bite – Transformation
(Edited) |
|
4. Plantation Pyre |
3m2a Lestat On Horse 3m3a Louis Burns House Part A (Edited) 3m3b Louis Burns House Part B |
|
5. Lestat’s Recitative |
4m1a Lestat Baits Louis 4m1a Insert Lestat Baits Louis tk 2 4m1bAlt We Are Predators (Edited) |
|
6. Lestat’s Tarantella |
4m3 Tarantella and Flight |
|
7. Claudia’s Transformation |
4m2 Louis Meets Claudia (Edited) 6m2 Claudia Freaks Out 5m1 Claudia Joins The Club (Edited) |
|
8. Lestat Deceived |
7m1 Claudia Deceives Lestat (Edited) 7m1a Collapses Time |
|
9. Escape to Paris |
7m6 Escape to Paris |
|
10. Théâtre des Vampires |
8m3a Santiago's Waltz 8m5 The Vampire Banquet (Edited) |
|
11. Armand’s Seduction |
9m1alt The Universe Is Empty (Edited) 9m3 Armand’s Seduction (Edited) |
|
12. Induction and Lament |
9m2 Beyond Words (Edited) 6m4 Time To Leave (Edited) 10m1 Induction and Lament 9m2alt Beyond Words (Edited) |
|
13. Abduction and Cistern |
10m2 Abduction And Cistern (Edited) 12m2 False Ending Part III (Edited) 10m2a Armand Rescues Louis (Edited) 10m2b Glass Harmonica Coda Claudia's Theme For Glass Harmonica v1
(Edited) Claudia's Theme For Glass Harmonica v2
(Edited) |
|
14. Louis’ Revenge |
10m3 Loss and Revenge 10m2c Absolution |
|
15. Finale |
12m2 Fake Ending (Edited) 2m1 Bedroom Scene – Sunrise (Edited) 2m2b Commedia dell'arte Part B (Edited) |